Outdoor burning rules in Buncombe County, NC — also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance — set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
Residents may burn leaves, brush, and yard trimmings from their own property on approved burn days between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., with nothing added after 6 p.m. Burning trash, plastics, and building materials is banned, and open burning is prohibited where yard-waste pickup exists.
The Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency (WNCRAQA Code Chapter 4, Section 1900) regulates open burning. Only yard vegetation from your own property may be burned, on days that are not forecast Code Orange or above and not under a Forest Service or Fire Marshal burn ban. Burning household trash, building materials, tires, plastic, cardboard, and processed wood is prohibited. Land-clearing brush piles must sit at least 500 feet from the nearest occupied structure. If you burn within 500 feet of forestland, a NC Forest Service permit may be required. Open burning is not allowed inside Asheville city limits or towns that provide yard-waste pickup.
Illegal open burning is enforced by the Air Quality Agency and Fire Marshal; violators may face citations and civil penalties. Call 828-250-6767 to check burn-day status.
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